Bacon and his Christian humanism

Bacon and his Christian humanism

Pity Parker.J 

            Francis Bacon is a leading figure during the 15 century. He is a statesman, Philosopher, scientist, Politician, jurist and most importantly writer. Perez Zagorin in his book on Francis Bacon starts the discourse stating that Bacon lived two separate lives which are quite interconnected. His complete life was like a serious battle between his two lives. Throughout his life Bacon strives a lot for his political career but “his political life was a failure”[1]. Bacon seems to be a realist in his political career. He seems to be greatly influenced by Machiavelli. But his life as a philosopher was put in with a little effort but it was far more fruitful than his political career. He was “the wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind”[2] comments Alexander Pope in his essay. He is wisest and Brightest in the terms of political philosophy and meanest when it comes to his political opportunism.

            Our discussion neglects his Political life and tries to analyse his philosophy in regard with the theology. Will Durant opines that “Bacon's value lies less in theology and ethics than in psychology. He is an undeceivable analyst of human nature and sends his shaft into every heart.”[3] His philosophy was deep and it’s very hard for the scholars to comprehend Bacon to the deepest. “Even to the keenest minds Bacon is ultimately an impenetrable mystery”[4] Though Durant puts psychology on the highest regard, the theology in Bacon’s thought has been a serious study by many scholars and was also one of the controversial element in his life.

            Bacon lived in a time when there was strong tension between Puritans and bishops. The Puritans were a sect of people who believed that the reformation was not up to the mark and firmly believed that the state has no say in the church affairs. Mrs. Bacon was a “fervent puritan and warm supporter of non conformist ministers”[5] ”One group of scholars claim that “Sir Francis Bacon was more deeply religious than he is conventionally thought to have been”[6] When Bacon was twenty eight, he wrote an unpublished essay which discusses the controversy between the puritans and the church bishops. It seems that he ‘criticized both sides and called for moderation, compromise and tolerance’[7] so, the claims that he did not “turn away from Puritanism” was not a rejection of his mother’s religiosity. Rather it “proved” that he had inherited her theological “piety” and “passion”[8] accommodates as an argument by this group of scholars. The other group opines that he ‘failed to share her (Mrs. Bacon’s) religiosity or puritan zeal’[9] This group argues that he needs to mask religious in order to accommodate himself in the political space.

            However, the religious thought of Bacon can be witnessed throughout his works. His essays were soaked in deep understanding on the Bible and his citations from the bible were very significant. But as like Milton Bacon also seems have a rational understanding of the religion. He doesn’t go with a blind belief. Durant says that “the whole trend of his philosophy is secular and rationalistic; he makes an eloquent and apparently sincere disclaimer of unbelief”[10]. So, we shall look at the humanism in which bacon tried to infuse within the Christianity then.

            Religious references play an important role in Bacon’s works. He takes an argument and supports it with the references from the Bible. His essay ‘on atheism’ argues against the people who claim that there is no god. He confirms that the God created the world beyond doubt calling him ‘the first cause’. He argues that God works and doeth his works through ‘second causes’. He in a way suggests that when man looketh the second causes and link the scattered causes he shall get to know about the first cause. He gives a trigger warning that ‘a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth man’s mind to religion.’[11] He strongly says that ‘atheism is rather in the lip than in the heart of a man’[12]. He quotes the verse from Psalms 14:11 in this regard. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, there is no god; it is not said, The fool hath thought in his heart’. He even goes far to say that ‘the great atheists indeed are hypocrites; which are ever handling holy things, but without feeling.’[13] He opines that ‘excessive knowledge of nature causes atheism,...., natural knowledge should be appreciated if it can be  understand to use scriptures’[14]   

            But Bacon’s religion is not fanatical. He believes in religion with a reason. He calls natural knowledge Philosophy or natural philosophy. ‘The two (Divinity and Philosophy), although distinct from each other, go together hand-in-hand, with the latter serving the former as a handmaiden serves her mistress.’[15] Going hand-in-hand doesn’t mean a mixed understanding. He completes separates both the fields and wants the enquires into both the philosophy be isolated but let them not be intermingled. It is in this particular juncture he is accused of being too religious on the other hand. Gascoigne John writes ‘Religious motifs play such a large role in Bacon’s work and are so intimately bound up with his thought as a whole that one can draw no clear division between the ‘religious’ and the ‘secular’[16]. This accusation levelled at him was of his project ‘The great instauration’ which aims to study the philosophical truth to discover god. Like plato talks of golden age, he too talks of a society which reaches the end of great instauration. He divides his project into six parts which is compared to the six days of creation of the god.

            The first part surveys the ground level needs which already known and which is not. The second part is the stage where things grow and evolve. Third part deals with all the observation about life which is nothing like reading and analyzing history.  Fourth part is to make something out of the observations made. Here the moral and psychological actions come into play. Fifth part is the area where speculations go and it is in the sixth part the man comes to know ‘what is real knowledge’ which finally culminates in the seventh part i.e. the day of creation in peace (with God). McKnight says ‘Bacon’s instauration is not secular, scientific advance through which humanity gains dominion over nature and mastery of it’s own destiny’[17] But in the course of the study of psychological insights (in Great instaturation) of a man as Will Durant says ‘is almost behaviourist: he demands strict study of cause and effect in human action, and wishes to eliminate the word Chance from the vocabulary of science.’[18]  

            When it comes to the topic of Bacon being not secular is due to the context. He lived in a time when Secularism was treated as being anti-religious, irreligious or anti-Christian. This is because of his secularisation his works. ‘Fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, secularisation was a setting apart of society and culture from the tutelage of religious authority’[19] and it is in the same juncture where he was called irreligious modern. So, it can be believed that he was in the argument of separation of the state from the church like any other Puritan. So the modern secularism which looks as state being far from the church is the same Bacon believed long ago so misreading of Bacon in this regard makes him anti-secular.

            Bacon’s religion as said before is led by reason. He on the discourse of atheism says that the causes of religion is because of the Divisions in religion and the later cause is because of the scandals of the priest. Talking of the primary cause about the divisions in the religion; it seems that he believes in the tolerance between sects and schisms. He ‘cautioned against the undue persecution of Puritan ministers, pointing out how useful they are as preachers in the battle against popery. He likewise counselled against the too severe treatment of Catholics’[20] Milton has the same argument in his book Areopagitica, an eloquent plea for the freedom of press.

            So, we can come to a conclusion that Bacon is neither too religious nor irreligious nor inter-religious and on the other hand he treats learning of History as memory, poetry as imagination and Philosophy as reason and it is the superstructure in the Pyramid. He never intermingles the study of science with theology but tries to introduce reason and thought within the Christianity itself. ‘But if we would rate things according to their real worth, the rational sciences are keys to all the rest.’[21]

Notes

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[1] Zagorin, Perez (1998). Francis Bacon. Princeton University Press. P.1

[2] Pope, Alexander, Essay on man. New York, Maynard, Merrill & Co. [1890] , 199

[3] Durant,Will. The story of Philosophy, Garden city Publication: Newyork, p.127

[4] Zagorin, p.4

[5] Ibid, p.11

[6] John P. McCaskey,  Technology and Culture, Volume 50, Number 3, July 2009, p. 685

[7] Ibid, p. 685                                    

[8] Ibid, p.685

[9] Zagorin, p.12

[10] Durant, p.127

[11] Bacon,Francis, The Essays, Peacock Books, p.40

[12] Ibid, p.41

[13] Ibid, p.42

[14] Ünsal Çimen, Francis Bacon and the Relation between Theology and Natural Philosophy doi:10.21464/sp34108 Received:22February2018.

[15] https://www.fbrt.org.uk/hermes/great-instauration/ Received:12 January, 2021.

[16]JohnGascoigne,TheReligiousThoughtofFrancisBacon,in:CaroleM.Cusack,ChristopherHartney(eds.),Religion and Re-tributive Logic: Essays in Honour of Profes-sor Garry W. Trompf,Brill,Leiden2010,pp. 209–228, p.226.

[17]McKnight, A. Stephen The Religious Foundations of Francis Bacon’s Thought, University of Missouri Press, Columbia,2006, p.31

[18] Durant, p.135

[19] Ünsal Çimen, p. 106

[20] Zagorin, p.6

[21] Durant, p.142

Bibiliography 

Zagorin, Perez (1998). Francis Bacon. Princeton University Press

Pope, Alexander, Essay on man. New York, Maynard, Merrill & Co. [1890]

Durant,Will. The story of Philosophy, Garden city Publication: Newyork

John P. McCaskey,  Technology and Culture, Volume 50, Number 3, July 2009 (Review Journal)

Bacon,Francis, The Essays, Peacock Books

Ünsal Çimen, Francis Bacon and the Relation between Theology and Natural Philosophy doi:10.21464/sp34108 Received:22February2018.

https://www.fbrt.org.uk/hermes/great-instauration/ Received:12 January, 2021.

JohnGascoigne,TheReligiousThoughtofFrancisBacon,in:CaroleM.Cusack,ChristopherHartney(eds.),Religion and Re-tributive Logic: Essays in Honour of Profes-sor Garry W. Trompf,Brill,Leiden2010,pp. 209–228, p.226.

McKnight, A. Stephen The Religious Foundations of Francis Bacon’s Thought, University of Missouri Press, Columbia,2006